Let Your Light Shine

Let Your Light Shine!

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

I love this verse but it has also been a struggle for me. Right after I gave my life to the Lord I was working in an environment that was very anti-religious. I had a light but it wasn't very bright or you could say I hid it in those first days mainly because I was afraid of what people thought of me. Add that to the fact that the majority of people I worked with were not believers and some were hostile to believers made it even harder. I had a choice to be quiet and hidden or to take a stand and be a light in the darkness. I can tell you that I missed the mark probably a lot more than I hit it that first year or two. This verse though really impacted me. God didn't call me out of the darkness to hide the hope He had given me. The challenge was to let it shine so others could see the hope He had given me was for them too. I had to learn to be a light when there were no other lights and what I found was there were a lot of other believers who were hiding too, just waiting for one person to take the first step and be a light in the darkness.

Too many times we as believers have a tendency to stand on the sidelines and watch. Whether it is at work, school or in our communities we do not always step in and become the light shining in the darkness. Whatever the reason or excuse we may have. God has challenged us to be something more. He wants us each to be a shining light, a beacon of hope, representing Him to a lost and dying world. Take a look around today and allow God to speak to you on how you can be a light in the darkness. Remember there is a hope inside of you that a lost and dying world needs to see and know about. Be bold, be courageous and be fearless as you shine in a dark, lost and hurting world.